Relaxation

The term relaxation has taken on a whole new meaning for me this week. I had a lot going on on Tuesday of this week, but it didn't fully catch up to me until Monday. I'm not sure how to describe it but when I get overwhelmed, I begin to feel a sharp almost pinching pain in my chest. I have gone to the ER two times for this weird situation and all of the tests have shown no signs of anything wrong with my heart. That's good news, however I still experience pain and discomfort whenever I feel like I have a lot going on. Some say it's all mental, but I truly believe that anxiety has negative physical effects on me. I think there is a muscle in my chest that gets inflamed whenever I get overwhelmed. As a result I feel a pinching pain in my chest by my heart. I'm not quite sure why this happens sometimes, but it does. Everyone tells me that I need to find a way to relax and get my mind off of it so I am determined to find the miracle cure!

Here are a couple of options for the ultimate relaxation cure:

1. Take a long shower. This would seem easy enough because taking a nice hot shower can make anyone feel 100% better, but when I start to feel weird as I call it I don't want to do anything besides lay down and talk to people about how much my chest hurts. I have this feeling that when I lift my arms up to wash my hair my chest will pinch. I guess I have to get over that fear of my chest pinching and test to see if taking a shower will really help me feel better. PLAN: Load up my shower with a bunch of good smelly soaps and scrubs. Buy a nice lufa and make sure I've got a nice sharp razor ready to go. Be prepared. As annoying as it is to constantly restock  my shower I'm just going to have to realize that in the end it will all be worth it. After my shower I will make sure that I lather up with some nice smelling lotion so that my skin stays nice and smooth. Can't forget to exfoliate as well! That way my skin can say nice and radiant.
2. Drink decaffeinated tea.  I have never been much of a tea fan so this option really doesn't appeal to me that much, but its worth a try. I have two of these really smooth calming teas that I sometimes drink before clinic (because I get stressed). It helps me calm down before a hectic session.  It's this orange blossom tea and the Aveda tea, which smells like shampoo. PLAN: Reserve an area of the kitchen for my collection of tea. Also I think I'm gong to have to purchase a hot water heater. Or I can just heat up some water on the stove (old school style). I think it will look kind of cute to have a little area with tea. It will look like I am a relaxed person and it will give me options for when I need something to calm me down. Something else I've always wanted to try is to have a nice little cup of tea before bed. Maybe having a cup will really relax me before bed and help me unwind after a long day at clinic. Now that I think of it I can really see myself making a nice little cup of tea before bed with a splash of honey and milk? I see Jeni do it all the time and it looks really good!
3. Exercise Regularly. I have been really good about this all semester, but lately I have been slacking when it comes to hitting the gym. I used to go at least 3 times a week and now I'm lucky if I get there once a week. Exercising is a great stress reliever and I need to make sure I make time for it during the week. My goal is to go on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and ultimately I would love to be able to work out for 40 minutes. Another good reason to work out is to stretch afterwards. I should really be stretching both before and after, but lets not get too far ahead of ourselves here. Tomorrow I am going to find time to workout in the morning before Audiology clinic. I am going to get up, work out, come home, eat breakfast, shower and then go to audiology. After that I am going to go to the lab to finish some transcriptions. Then I have to let the doggies out and go to African Dance where I go immediately to Multicultural Issues and then HOME!
4. Eat a well balanced diet. I am a firm believer in eating enough veggies, fruits, and water during the day. I have literally been living off of popcorn and carbs for the past 2 weeks and I think it is starting to have a negative effect on my attitude. In my defense I didn't have a car to go get groceries, but still. I should have made time to go. I needed to get veggies. Although I have been going to Starbucks a lot lately to get my fruits and stuff into my daily diet. When I come back from Easter Break I am going to make sure that I restock my fridge with lots of goodies! Also my fridge SUCKS! I swear all of the food I have in my fridge is bad and goes bad immediately after I buy it. I try my best to get a variety of foods, but I just get scared that what I am eating is bad or full of bacteria. Anywayssss eating healthy is always a goal of mine. Let's get to it! My diet starts tomorrow. PLAN: Go grocery shopping while I'm at home and buy some good food for Easter break. When I get back to school I am going to make grocery shopping my first priority. I am going to buy lots of good stuff for salad. I am going to get this one salad dressing that I have been dying to try! i am going to get some bananas (oh how I miss my bananas) apples are another key item for me. I used to buy them a lot and now I don't. Eating different things for breakfast is another habit I am trying to break. I always have 1/2 a banana, cereal, and a coffee for breakfast. Yes it is a healthy start to the day, but I literally have it everyday. I need to branch out. Maybe I'll make some muffins one week or healthy scones to have. I'm always a fan of lemon poppyseed so I could make something nummy with those ingredients. I could have oatmeal with some brown sugar and milk with slivered almonds or fruit. I don't know if I can break my habit of drinking coffee because I need it in the mornings. Bottom line is I need to vary my diet, eat healthier, watch the portions, and try to eat something new for breakfast every morning.
5. Spread out my assignments. Don't cram everything into one week or one day. I need to make sure that I don't find myself in the same situation that I did on Monday. I was hungover and really felt the pressure of writing my 3 page paper before Tuesday. I had briefly worked on it, but was waiting to actually write the entire paper until the day before. I think that the majority of my anxiety came from that. I should have started it last week or better yet even finished it last week. What was I thinking??? I know that those kind of things stress me out, but yet I chose to do it anyways. I guess I will learn for next time. PLAN:  I have a lot of stuff due at the end of the semester so I need to spread out the material. I really need to do well on this next stuttering assignment so instead of waiting till the last minute to study I am going to read the chapters in a relaxed manner and make sure the information sticks in my mind. I am NOT going to take notes on the chapters because that didn't help me last time. No sir. I am going to knock it out of the park! I am also going to make sure I start studying for Audiology while I'm at home. Next fall I know I am going to have a lot of stuff going on so I need to make sure I really have a plan and schedule that works for me where I can workout and still find time for things that I enjoy (like watching my favorite shows).

I would take long walks by myself in Roma. Such a relaxing way to spend my afternoons!

I simply love this picture I took in Tuscany. Vino Bianco always makes me feel better!

Gosh that is a lot of writing. I don't care though because it helps me talk things out. I always seem to talk to my mom about my problems and sometimes I simply have too many little problems to tell her about. That is what this blog is for. To share my inspirations and help me through my hard times. I will work on writing in my blog when I am not feeling the greatest. Maybe it will help me feel better?